Kristen Kane has all the right ingredients of a new student. She’s eager to learn, likes to make new friends, and enjoys embarking on new experiences.

But Kane is not your average student. In fact, she’s not a student at all. The Silver Spring lifelong resident is the 2017-2018 Montgomery County Public Schools Teacher of the Year and is in the running to be Maryland’s Teacher of the Year.

Nancy Shay, 2017 Montgomery County Teacher of the Year, strives to bring out the best in her students. PHOTO BY MARK POETKER

Nancy Shay sat perched atop her chair, encouraging her Richard Montgomery High School students not just to sing “Happy Birthday” to a fellow student, but to do it with as much feeling as they could possibly muster.

Whether it’s a simple song, a book the class is reading or a review of a movie they just saw, Shay, who was just named Montgomery County Public School Teacher of the Year, is determined to challenge every single one of her teenage students.

And her students know it.

“Her intonation, the way she gives life to books and films, and the way she is passionate” are the things that make Shay such a good teacher, said Emma McLeond, a junior.

Kimberly Skufca, Andrea Segovia and Michael Williams are finalists in this year's Teacher of the Year competition. COURTESY PHOTO

ROCKVILLE – A middle school technology teacher, a high school social studies resource teacher and a third-grade teacher cultivated confidence of their students and inspired students to work hard in their classes.

The three are finalists for the Montgomery County Public Schools Teacher of the Year award for the way they inspired students to seek challenges and perform well. The three will receive a Master Teacher Award from a related organization, as well as being finalists for the MCPS award.